Biology Dissection? JUST NO!

So this week in Biology class we had to do a heart dissection. It was terrible. I was dreading the class before the week even started. I can’t handle meat most of the time, forcing it down at meals as my family doesn’t allow me to be vegetarian anymore, but the hearts were on a whole new level of NO.

They were all vaccum packed together, then sitting in a tray, and I felt sick JUST seeing them. I don’t even care that the animals died naturally. I don’t do dissecting. I don’t do dead things.

We were allowed to go in groups, of our choice and it was one group per row in te Lab, so I went as far away from the heat as physically possible, toward the window, already feeling sick, light headed and disgusted.

Then, someone on the row behind me slaps down a heart right in my sight, blood splattering all over the desk and I nearly vomit. I walk out of the class, the teacher telling me to sit in the corridor until the faint feeling passes.

Seeing it made me feel so sick! It was horrible, and I couldn’t deal with a heart in the table. A HEART. It just seemed wrong, immoral. I didn’t eat meat for months, and by the end I was practically vegan.

And seeing the heart just brought all of that back, and how I want to be vegetarian again and made me feel sick at myself for the past moths where I’ve been eating meat and not standing up to my parents and saying “no” to meat.

I thought that schools had to have a simulation alternative for those against dissection. When I was in high school, we had to dissect frogs. Those who couldn’t dissect them got to do a computer simulation program. That’s supposed to be the way it is for people who cannot dissect or get sick at the sight of blood. And hearts? I don’t think I could do that one either!!
Boo to your teacher!! That’s a horrible thing to dissect. I know I’m “late to the party,” but I hope this works out for you.

How come you weren’t allowed to opt out? That’s really bad. In our school, we’re allowed to choose. Hmm, that’s a tough one. Do you cook much yourself? If not, maybe they find cooking two different meals a bit much, so that could help x

Yeah, but that still doesn’t seem right. I mean, we’re consulted beforehand and they don’t have a problem if you choose not to. For me, I’m not grossed out by it, I just disagree with it for moral reasons so I don’t participate.

I know, right?! In all the previous classes we were consulted first, I don’t really know what happened? The animals had all died of natural causes, but it still seemed wrong to have hearts on a table! My parents just think of the inconvenience of it all, really. I think x

Stand up for your belief, why wouldn’t your parents let you? My mum would be happy if I went vegan, cause I would be eating healthier, but I don’t think anyone in my family can become vegan. I’ve tired to but I always fail. I’m sorry you had to experience this, but it’s for the purpose of science for people to understand the heart and for future doctors and nurses to start getting used to doing this to save lives. Stand up for yourself! Make your own food, if your parents still have a problem

Thank you so much for the support!! My parents don’t really like me being vegan/ vegetarian because if main meals, and having to cook something else for me all the time, buts more difficult for my dad than my mum. I’m going to talk to them, and hopefully I can become vegetarian again ☺️

That’s great! I just went to my mums room and made a sob story about baby cows and how we steal their milk and because I was so distressed she just let me go vegan. It was hard; the whole meals thing that you talked about but it’s been seven months now 😊

Its so great hearing a positive story! I haven’t spoken to my parents about it properly yet, as when I’ve raise the subject they’ve said that “compared to a lot of families we don’t eat that much meat” and i just get irritated. 😦

Ooh. That’s difficult. I’m sorry if this comes across really harsh and unnecessary but compared to other families you don’t murder that many people. I just thought it would be a good example that comparison to worse people doesn’t mean you’re in the right, but you knew that already.
Best of luck! 😊